DVDActive uses cookies to remember your actions, such as your answer in the poll. Cookies are
also used by third-parties for statistics, social media and advertising. By using this website, it is
assumed that you agree to this.

Star Wars: Top 20 Moments

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of the first movie in the Star Wars saga, I’ve compiled a list of our favourite twenty moments. It was a tough decision to leave out some important scenes, but no matter how many you limit yourself to, you’d always have to draw the line somewhere. So here we go, in episode order…

Episode I: The Phantom Menace

After sixteen years of waiting for the next movie in a series that millions of people grew up with, the only thing more certain than George Lucas making bucket loads of cash was that he could never meet everyone’s expectations. After all, ever since we learned about Roman numerals, we’ve all allowed our imaginations to tell us what should happen in episodes I, II and III. It just so happens that the development of the technology Lucas was waiting for to deliver the first half of his epic story came at the same time as widespread use of the internet was becoming the norm so if someone didn’t like The Phantom Menace, they could voice their opinions to anyone and everyone around the world.

So is Episode I a bad movie? Not in my opinion, but I agree with the widely-held view that the exposition-heavy movie is the weakest in the saga. After all, it’s supposed to introduce us to the universe, the characters in it and their situations. However, there are two moments that reminded us why we love the original trilogy and gave us hope for the next two parts.

1. The pod race

We knew Anakin Skywalker would eventually turn into the ‘the best starfighter pilot in the galaxy’, so it was important to show this as early as possible in the first episode. But how can you show this when he’s only a little nipper? Lucas decided to do this by having him build his own pod racer and enter the most dangerous race in the galaxy. We’ll never know if Ani could have managed to do the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs, but this scene certainly introduced him as someone who could do things no other human could.

We know he’s going to win the race from the minute we hear him say that he’s going to enter, but that’s not important. What’s important is that this is the first real opportunity for Lucas to show off the new digital technology that he (and the rest of us) had been waiting for. Was it worth the wait? Maybe. What’s certain is that we’d never seen a race sequence quite like this one. You can really feel the speed of the pod racers and anyone with a surround setup will tell you how great those machines sound.

2. Darth Maul gets his lightsaber out

Meet Joe Black was a very lucky movie. It was lucky enough to have the first theatrical trailer for Episode I showing before it and attracted plenty of Star Wars fans, eager to see any footage available of their most eagerly-awaited movie. Probably the most memorable image from the trailer was that of Sith badass Darth Maul taking out his lightsaber and lighting it up. But wait a minute—it’s got two blades!

At that moment every fan’s imagination was all aflutter, dreaming of what could happen next. What does happen next is one of the most energetic lightsaber duels in the whole saga and the only complaint I have with the whole scene is that we kiss goodbye to one of the best baddies in the series and without a doubt the coolest Sith lord in the whole prequel trilogy. The acrobatics and choreography set the tone for the fight sequences in the rest of the trilogy and easily maintains audience attention while the young Skywalker is gooning around in a spaceship.

Episode II: Attack of the Clones

After the characters were introduced in Episode I, we were all eager for them all to get down to business as usual in the Star Wars universe, with plenty of action and the promise of the grown-up Anakin starting to turn to the dark side. Episode II, with B-movie title Attack Of The Clones, is a lot more action-packed than its predecessor and follows an unexpected mystery structure in the first half. However, once we get the mushy stuff between Anakin and Padme out of the way and Obi-Wan and Jango Fett do battle on Kamino (a scene that just lost the cut into this feature), it’s action pretty much all the way to the end.

3. Ass Yoda kicks

The final battle is separated into three sequences. First of all there’s the Gladiator-style fight to the death between our heroes and a collection of nasty creatures. Then when all seems lost, the Jedi arrive to save the day and we get the first full-on fight from the Jedi army. This leads into the full-scale battle between the new army of clones and the separatists, which ends with Obi-Wan and Anakin taking on Count Dooku as he tries to make his escape. Just as he’s about to get away after chopping off the first of several limbs Anakin would have to get used to living without, a little green guy limps round the corner…

The moment Yoda opens his cloak and takes out his lightsaber using the force, we know we’re in for something special. For the previous episode and the whole of the original trilogy, we were used to Yoda being relatively immobile, so seeing him jumping around like Sonic the Hedgehog is the one moment in the prequel trilogy that makes you want to jump out of your seat, punch the air and shout ‘Yes!’ Unfortunately Lucasfilm broke the rule of never showing your best moment in the trailer by selling the film on it once the movie had been in cinemas for a week, but it remains the stand-out scene in an entry in the saga that’s good but very rarely great.

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

This is the one we’d all been waiting for. Finally the Clone Wars would end, the Jedi would be all but wiped out and Anakin would don the famous black suit. The opening battle in space above Coruscant is exciting and shows off ILM’s ability with CGI but in this, probably the best-written prequel, there are subtle touches in addition to the big action set-pieces.

4. Grooming the young Skywalker

Right from the start we knew that Senator Palpatine was a bad egg who would convert Anakin to the dark side. This is the scene where he turns on the charm and uses Skywalker’s visions of a dying Padme as leverage to convince him to betray the Jedi. The combination of his compelling words and the strange music from the show they are watching make the whole sequence very unsettling. Our investment in the emotional state of Anakin depends on us believing he could be turned to the dark side and whether it was a conscious decision or not, it is better that the scene hinges on Ian McDiarmid’s performance rather than Hayden Christensen’s.

5. Order 66

In the most brutal sequence of the whole saga, we see the Jedi—who are leading the clone troops in battle against the separatists on different planets around the galaxy—gunned down following the order from Senator Palpatine. Following the death of Mace Windu and the naming of Darth Vader, the tone of the movie turns to the dark side and it’s only a matter of time until Anakin is murdering Jedi children (is there a word uglier than ‘younglings’?) in the temple. There are some noble deaths for fan-favourite Jedi knights and a close escape for Yoda, who gets the wobbles from all the disturbances in the force.

6. Darth Vader vs Obi-Wan round one

After flying to Mustafar and failing to convince him of the error of his ways, Padme is cast aside by Anakin and Obi-Wan takes on the man who was supposed to bring balance to the force. Although Vader doesn’t actually fall into the lava as we were told in the first description of his back-story in the Star Wars magazine in 1978, the end of Anakin Skywalker is gruesome enough for us to believe he would have breathing problems for the next three movies. Ewan McGregor’s performance as Obi-Wan, frustrated at the demise of his friend and one-time apprentice, lends the scene an emotional punch that is generally lacking from Lucas’ screenplays for the prequels.

There’s also a nice blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot of Obi-Wan picking up Anakin’s lightsaber, which he will eventually pass on to Luke. Of course, all this is going on at the same time as Yoda smacks down two Imperial guards and tries to take on Palpatine with the line ‘Oi Emperor, stitch this’ (or something like it), but he’s already had his moment in the sun so that duel doesn’t quite make it into this list.

7. Vader gets a new wardrobe

If there was just one moment I wanted to see in the whole prequel trilogy, it was that of Anakin being reborn as Darth Vader, complete with the black suit and a voice that makes him sound like King Jaffe Joffer from Coming to America. Contrasting the construction of Vader’s suit with the birth of Luke and Leia adds weight to the tragic scene, which shows that Padme died because he turned to the dark side (although her death is never adequately explained) and there was nothing he could do to save her.

Lucas made Vader’s helmet too heavy to purposely make Christensen’s first steps in the suit awkward and it almost tips the scene into a parody of Frankenstein. I think it comes down on the side of neat reference but for those who aren’t big Star Wars fans, it probably looks a bit silly. However, if you’re not a Star Wars fan, why would you sit through the whole movie and more importantly, why would you read this far down this article? Jeez, you Star Wars haters don’t have much to do in your spare time, do you? Anyway, for the rest of us, it’s onwards and downwards to the original trilogy…

Episode IV: A New Hope

If there’s one movie I could attribute my movie geekness to, one movie that shaped my love of film and appreciation of science fiction, this is it. I was born in 1978 so I was a prime member of the target market for everything Star Wars-related in the early 80s. My collection of Star Wars toys was the envy of our street and when I wasn’t listening to the read-along story cassettes, I was round a friend’s house watching the movies (we didn’t have a VCR in my very early years) so it’s safe to say that the first episode in the original trilogy has a special place in my heart. As a result, my view of the original trilogy is incredibly biased. I think one of the main reasons that the prequel trilogy gets such a hard time from those in their twenties and thirties is because we’re not kids any more. Our lives no longer revolve around watching the movies at every opportunity and having pretend lightsaber fights in the playground. We’ve got bills to pay now and it’s not fair, dammit!

8. Star Destroyer opening

I was ready to leave my last paragraph behind but the opening shot of Episode IV makes me think of another reason why I prefer the original trilogy. It’s only a little thing but it makes me think that more thought went into tying episodes IV, V and VI together. All three movies open with shots of an Imperial Star Destroyer, whereas there is no consistency with the opening shots of the prequel trilogy. This may sound like a real nit-pick but consistency breeds familiarity and makes the episodes of the original trilogy feel more like they were part of a cohesive whole.

The opening shot of the blockade runner being chased by a Star Destroyer looks great on DVD, but I can only imagine how amazing it must have been to see it on the big screen in 1977, where there had really been nothing like it ever before. The Star Destroyer goes on forever in a shot that has been spoofed many times, most notably in Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs. The combination of the stunning visuals and John Williams’ score surely make this one of the greatest opening shots in movie history.

9. Enter Darth Vader

Only moments later, we have one of the best entrances in movie history. Darth Vader doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to. He’s the baddest of all badasses in the whole galaxy and he knows it. The plans for the Death Star have been stolen by the Rebel Alliance and he’s not going to stop until he’s got his hands on them. The image of Darth Vader, flanked by Stormtoopers, is iconic and with the only dialogue up to this point spoken by droids, we know without a doubt that we’re in a galaxy far, far away and the man in black is kicking ass and taking names.

10. The shot of Luke against the suns

Bypassing Harrison Ford’s theory that ‘you can type this shit but you can’t say it’, one of the most poignant and emotional scenes in the whole saga takes place without any dialogue. The young Luke Skywalker, nephew of a moisture farmer, longs to join the academy and leave the desert planet of Tattooine behind him. His uncle frowns on any mention of Luke’s father but Luke knows deep down inside him that he is destined for so much more. There is no better way to show a man’s longing to leave the world he grudgingly calls home than by watching him looking up at the stars, which look so far away. But we know that it won’t be long until he’s jetting off into the galaxy and life will never be the same for him again.

11. Darth Vader vs Obi-Wan round two

The circle is complete. With the events of the prequel trilogy now a distant memory, Darth Vader, now officially the baddest badass in the galaxy, takes on his old master in their second and final duel. The look on Obi-Wan’s face as he capitulates to Vader’s attack is given more impact by the final conversation between Obi-Wan and Yoda in Revenge of the Sith. He knows that even after death he will be able to communicate with Luke and guide him in the ways of the force. The first lightsaber duel in the saga may not be the most technically impressive, but Obi-Wan’s sacrifice is given added meaning by the plot device established in Episode III and is one way that watching the prequels adds to the experience of the original trilogy.

12. Death Star explosion

In 1977 there hadn’t been a pay-off anything like this. The explosion of the Death Star is both the physical and emotional climax of Luke Skywalker’s journey from farm boy to starfighter pilot. It’s also important to our understanding of the character that it’s the first and only time he uses the force in anger in Episode IV. Remember that very few people close to Lucas thought this movie would be a success so it would have been easy for him to blow his load on the finale by turning Luke into a Jedi master and praying for someone to give him the money for a sequel.

Even George Lucas thought the destruction of the Death Star was so good that he used it again in Return of the Jedi, which he was criticised for but it is actually a realistic possibility. Faced with having to start from scratch, the only option the Empire would have would be to go back to their original plans rather than start again. At the end of Episode IV, the only Star Wars movie at the time, the development of Luke’s character is pitch-perfect and that is why the destruction of the Death Star is such a powerful moment. Without this planet-sized explosion, we wouldn’t have special effects extravaganzas with huge pay-offs like Independence Day, Pearl Harbor and Armageddon. It is this moment more than any other that is the reason for the torrent of summer blockbusters ever since.

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Fate can be terribly cruel, conspiring against the righteous at every turn. No, I’m not talking about the revelation at the end of Episode V, I’m talking about the fact that I failed to see The Empire Strikes Back until Christmas 1988, when I was the ripe old age of ten. Our inability to watch pre-recorded movies at home (which would probably be grounds for a child to divorce their parents in 2007) and the fact that I was a bit too young to see it at the cinema upon its release in 1980 meant that opportunities to catch the best movie in the saga were few and far between. Back in days before multiplexes, our leisure centre showed a double-bill of Episodes V and VI, but unfortunately I was too ill to go. The illness itself is lost in the mists of time but the pain remains.

I’m not usually one for making black-and-white generalisations but you probably noticed that I referred to The Empire Strikes Back as the best movie in the saga in my trip down memory lane. The ‘best’ anything is of course down to personal preference but for me, Episode V sits high above the rest because it sets the emotional tone for the whole saga. The whole prequel trilogy was made because we all wanted to know how Anakin Skywalker turned into Darth Vader and it wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the complexity of The Empire Strikes Back.

13. You will go to the Dagobah system’

After closely escaping the clutches of the creatures of the Hoth, Luke is lying in the snowy wilderness, just moments from freezing to death. The vision of Obi-Wan Kenobi appears before him and tells him to go to the Dagobah system, where he will learn from Yoda, the Jedi master who instructed him. This scene is important because it is Luke’s first step down the path to becoming a Jedi master and it’s also the first time we see the ghostly apparition of an ex-Jedi. The Empire Strikes Back contains the darkest moments of the original trilogy, for Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in particular and this scene signifies the change in tone between Episodes IV and V.

14. AT-AT attack

The major good guys versus bad guys battle happens surprisingly early on in The Empire Strikes Back. After Mr Bronson from Grange Hill blunders his way into the Hoth system, the Empire have no option but to mount a ground assault on the Rebel Alliance as they try to make their escape. We’re then treated to a mechanical David and Goliath battle as the Rebel Snowspeeders try to trip up the Empire’s massive AT-AT walkers with their harpoons and tow-cables. The special effects for this scene were notoriously hard to piece together. Mapping model shots onto the darkness of space is a forgiving process because rough edges easily blend into the black background. The exact opposite is true of trying to superimpose clips onto a background of white snow. However, the effects still hold up today (just about) and give us an exciting sequence to kick off the movie before we get down to the real emotional stuff.

15. Luke vs. Vader in the cave

Against the wishes of Yoda, Luke ventures into cave on Dagobah that is strong with the dark side of the force. He takes his lightsaber with him and encounters a vision of Darth Vader. Luke chops off Vader’s head and beneath the mask he sees his own face. This scene is the closest we get to the supernatural in the whole Star Wars saga. Filmed in jerky slow motion, the fight is confusing and cryptic, foreshadowing the announcement of the relationship between Vader and Skywalker and Luke’s transformation into a Jedi master who is part man, part machine.

16. ‘I know’

Han Solo had to have a moment in this list and the logical choices were either this scene or blowing Greedo away in Mos Eisley. While the brutality of him shooting first in Episode IV shows us just what an maverick he is, his response to Leia’s ‘I love you’ before he is frozen in carbonite sums up his love for the princess in two words in the way that only a scoundrel can. This is another example of what is lacking from the prequel trilogy. Had this scene featured Padme and Anakin, the exchange would probably have been an endless stream of ‘No, I love you more’ until a stormtrooper whacked them both over the head. Han Solo’s presence gives every scene an edge and adds a factor of unpredictability to the script. In that situation, every other character would have replied with ‘I love you too’, but the scruffy-looking Nerf herder is the only man in the galaxy who could get away with his reply.

17. ‘I am your father’

The Star Wars saga had already cemented its place in movie history with the exciting adventures of Episode IV but this scene, and in particular that line, is the reason why the movies are thought of in such high regard and why this episode in particular is generally regarded as the best of the bunch. Episodes IV and VI are ripping yarns indeed but Darth Vader’s revelation that he is Luke’s father turns an exciting adventure series into a tale of father-and-son redemption. Everything that has gone before has an extra weight and this bombshell increases the stakes in the battle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.

The only problem with this scene now is that it’s no longer a twist. In 1980 the audiences didn’t see it coming but any newcomers to the saga are in no doubt about the family relationships by the time they’ve made it through about ten hours of the saga. The significance of this line has changed with the release of the prequel trilogy because upon the original release of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker is the character that the audience sympathises with. However, now that we know all about Darth Vader’s back story and we’ve seen him as a little boy, we can also sympathise with the thought of a father looking for his long lost son.

18. The closing shot

With Han Solo frozen in carbonite on his way to be handed over to Jabba the Hutt and Luke trying to take in the fact that his dad is the baddest badass in the galaxy, the good guys are well and truly at their lowest point. It was very brave to end the sequel to one of the most popular movies of all time on a cliff-hanger. Will they get Han Solo back in one piece? Will Luke turn to the dark side? Sorry, you’ve got to wait three years to find out. The shot of Luke, Leia and the droids staring out into space as the Millennium Falcon flies into the distance neatly sums up the downbeat end to this chapter of the story and forces the audience to wonder what might happen in the final episode.

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

It’s been a long journey to this point and I salute you if you’re still reading this article. As for the movie, Return of the Jedi is a story in two parts, both action-packed climaxes to the main storylines of the trilogy. If you wanted the character development and quieter moments of Episode V, then you’ve come to the wrong place I’m afraid. It’s laser guns and lightsabers all the way from beginning to end and with the exception of a set of little furballs, it’s pretty much the perfect science fiction adventure movie. Needless to say, those little furballs don’t make an appearance in the last two entries in my list...

19. The Sarlacc pit

Showdown #1. Luke, Lando, Leia, the droids and Han Solo (with dodgy vision) take on Jabba the Hutt and his band of hideous cronies after he tries to dump them in the pit of Carkoon, where they will be digested by the almighty Sarlacc. Luke is forced to walk the plank but a nice piece of acrobatics and coordination with R2-D2 mean all hell breaks loose, which ends with the death of Jabba the Hutt and the great Boba Fett going out like a punk. This is the only action sequence in the original trilogy that features all the main good guys blasting, swinging and wise-cracking their way to victory.

20. Luke vs Vader round two

Showdown #2 in Return of the Jedi is also the second face-to-face between Skywalkers junior and senior. There’s only one way this can go and the tables are turned when Luke chops Vader’s hand off. The look on his face as he looks at his own mechanical hand tells us that he knows he is slowly turning into his father and lays down his lightsaber, refusing to join the dark side. After two movies of Darth Vader being top dog, he’s now playing second fiddle to the Emperor, but the Dark Lord of the Sith is allowed his redemption by stopping his boss killing his only son. As Vader lies dying, he and Luke share their only father-son moment and for some reason a sinister-looking Hayden Christensen is reborn as a Jedi ghost, even though the man in the mask looked nothing like him. Oh well, I’ve managed to get this far without moaning about George Lucas’ fiddling so I’m not going to start now.

There we have it. Twenty moments from the Star Wars movies that sum up the saga for me. You’ll probably agree with some of them. Some of them you won’t agree with. That’s what we’ve got a comments section for. So what are your favourite Star Wars moments?

Advertisements

Comments

Reply

Message

Enter the message here then press submit. The username, password and message are required. Please make the message constructive, you are fully responsible for the legality of anything you contribute. Terms & conditions apply.

My top 20 would probably be: PREQUELS TPM; 1. Darth Maul ignites his lightsaber - pity they showed it in the trailer. Cue 'Duel of the Fates' and a fantastic duel kicks to ensure Ep.1 wasn't a total failiure. This was the first real 'wow!' moment in an otherwise hugely dissapointing film.

2. Maul vs Obi-Wan - Right at the end of the first prequel we finally get something that promises great things for the trilogy. We really feel for Obi-Wan when his master dies, and the tension builds as the Jedi and Sith face each other through the laser shield (brilliant touch) What follows is a duel faster and fiercer than anything we had seen before, possibly the best bit of lightsaber wielding in the entire saga.

AOTC; 3. Yoda finally fights - In the original trilogy you find yourself wondering what the revered and powerful jedi master Yoda was like with a lightsaber. Finally, after the terrible puppet in Ep.1, the new CGI Yoda bounces around the room after igniting his lightsaber the very beat way, using the force! As he draws that lightsaber every fan sat up with an eager grin on their faces. The impact of the duel is dimished by the lack of development of Dooku, an effective character who deserved to be introduced as a rogue Jedi in Ep.1

ROTS; 4. R2-D2 owns the droids - In the relentless opening sequence of Ep.3 you really get the feeling your back in the original trilogy. It is action packed and great fun, mainly down to R2's heroics on board Grievous' ship. His oil/rockets combo is priceless and recieved a big cheer at every screening.

5. Anakin turns to the Darkside - The moment every fan was waiting to see since Vader's revelation at the end of Ep.5 is unexpected, but effective, with Mace Windu's death and Anakin's capitulation to the power of the Darkside. The real killer shot comes when a scowling Vader marches purposfully into the Jedi Temple with hundreds of Clones/Stormtroopers at his back. He then proceeds to chop up some younglings....badass!

6. Order 66 - John Williams score cements the emotional side of the sage so often its amazing, and he pulls of his finest piece of work since Duel of the Fates here. Your heart is wrenched as Ki-Adi Mundi is gunned down. Yoda's reaction is well worked, and the shot of the Jedi Temple in flames sums up Anakin's betrayal and tumultous events the lead into Ep.4

7. Sidious vs Yoda - As soon as the rough power structures of the Sith and the Jedi were worked out, it was clear that Yoda and Sidious were the two characters most likely to produce a spectacular duel. Vader vs Obi-Wan round 1 was always going to happen, which is why it was such a delightful surprise when Yoda limped into Palpatine's office and calmly smashed his royal guards against the wall. It's been rumoured the Lucas' best mate Spielberg directed the duel...I can believe that because it's superb. The shot of the two duelling frantically as they rise up into the vast arena of the senate is sensational. Green v red, good v evil, this duel is more clear cut than the complex one between master and apprentice on Mustafar.

Hard for me to choose favorite moments from the two triologies. As I am partial the the original. While keeping an objective eye, here in no perticular order is my list.

Episode 1: Opening credits. I know it sounds silly, but the anticipation alone of this new triology was mind blowing. Never in the history of film, has one single movie stirred the imagination of movie goers. Yes Episode 1 wasn't the greatest of all 6. But at the time the opening credits started the possibilities were endless.

Episode IV Battle of Yavin...no need to say more

Episode V Lando. New character that came out of nowhere. Think about it, what was his role? A scoundral, we had it with Han. There was no real need for him. Just like Biggs, yet we don't see Biggs ( in detail ) in the triology. Lando simply made Han look more of a hero than a scoundral.

Episode VI Jabba's palace. I know it's simply a retooling of the Cantina scene from IV. However, the Rancor and Jabba puppetery is quite amazing. never for a moment you think to yourself this is SGI or a puppet. ( exception of seeing Luke with the Rancor )still most impressive.

Speeder bikes chase. Every kind in 1983 raced their bikes down the street and pulled on the brakes and relived that chase. Heck Tom cruise had to do the same in Top Gun.

Last but not least The entire score. Kudos to John Williams. Regardless of the Episode, every single note, every theme played and heard, brings out a memorable moment. A theme coudl play out in the distance and without even looking at a screen, someone will know where in the movie that song is from. Not too many movies in history has that claim.

It's a nice list - certainly not my list, but hey, it's your opinion :-). Anyway, the fact that I just registered here to post this tells you that I'd like to say something regarding the greatest "Star Wars"-moments.

Simply because, in my opinion, you're lacking the most important of all. For me the one scene that defines "Star Wars", the one where it all made sense, when everything is revealed, is missing here.

In Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, when Yoda is telling Luke of the power of the Force, its nature, how it binds the universe together (before he lifts the X-Wing out of the swamp), that is the one scene that to me captures the "Star Wars"-spirit best. That one monologe when you can actually feel the magic.

I'd include that scene and certainly take out the "I see dead people"-the-return-of-Ben-Kenobi-"Dagobah"-scene. Its good, but not an instant classic.

Anyway, it's a good list, and I still like five of the six movies :-). Have a nice day! VSG

It's very interesting to read "Another mans journey"... I happened to be lucky? (getting old) enough to see the original Ep 4 in the cinemas when I was 7 with my father and younger brother and I will never forget it!

Great stuff Scott - the only thing you forgot was the stormtrooper smashing his head against the door in Ep 4...

Takeshi Tetsuryuu wrote: Justin Biddle wrote: I think the danger of 20 worst moments is it will end up just being a lazy article and go straight for the usual suspects. Changes, and prequals. If it is written I think it would be a good idea to focus on flaws that people don't often mention about the films (and the original trilogy has plenty that don't include the word Ewok). Otherwise the articles going to be a bit obvious And this one already wasn't? I mean, I'm sure we all knew that Darth Vader's revelation to Luke in ESB was going to be there.

Just like I'm sure we all know that placement of Hayden Christensen in the end of RotJ would be in the list of 20 worst moments.

Personally I must say that I didn't mind the most of the OT changes either - little cosmetic touch-ups here and there (Millenium Falcon's detailed take-off in ANH, the wampa in ESB); but the blatant CGI in some places (the extended entrance to Mos Eisley) and the downright content-altering additions (Han&Greedo, the aforementioned Christensen in RotJ) stand out as the biggest offenses. Not to mention Lucas' refusal to treat the original versions as equally important.

My point is not that it shouldn't list all these problems. Just that the urge to focus soully on them should be resisted. I found the article above had a few suprises in it which was nice and my point is that a worst moments should do the same and have a mixture of the obvious and the less obvious rather than just list every alteration and Hayden moment.

As a quick aside, the Greedo moment always amuses me. Although I agree the change is unneccessary I always find it amusing when people argue that it completely changes Han's character. This would seem to imply that he is so poorly written in the first place that his entire personna hangs on a moment that lasts less than a second. What I'm trying to say is that while I agree the change has some negative effect on Han's character it is such a brief and isolated moment it hardly affects my enjoyment of the film. That said the change is I agree pointless.

Great list!!! I pretty much agree with all your moments, but I do have one, that for me really opened my eyes to what Darth Vader COULD be... the scene in ESB, where, I think Captain Piett walks into Vader's chamber, and we see Darth Vader in his pod, helmet lowering onto a burned and scarred head. Before that moment, no one knew for sure just WHAT Vader was (man/machine). But that scene gave us all equal parts revulsion, curiousity and wonder. Did Darth Vader meditate? Well, if he did, that gave him more depth as a character.... as an 8 year old kid watching that scene for the forst time, I began to glimpse the possibility of what Darth Vader could be... more that just a faceless, evil machine, but something with a soul... good or bad. It never got better than that for me.

Justin Biddle wrote: I think the danger of 20 worst moments is it will end up just being a lazy article and go straight for the usual suspects. Changes, and prequals. If it is written I think it would be a good idea to focus on flaws that people don't often mention about the films (and the original trilogy has plenty that don't include the word Ewok). Otherwise the articles going to be a bit obvious And this one already wasn't? I mean, I'm sure we all knew that Darth Vader's revelation to Luke in ESB was going to be there.

Just like I'm sure we all know that placement of Hayden Christensen in the end of RotJ would be in the list of 20 worst moments.

Personally I must say that I didn't mind the most of the OT changes either - little cosmetic touch-ups here and there (Millenium Falcon's detailed take-off in ANH, the wampa in ESB); but the blatant CGI in some places (the extended entrance to Mos Eisley) and the downright content-altering additions (Han&Greedo, the aforementioned Christensen in RotJ) stand out as the biggest offenses. Not to mention Lucas' refusal to treat the original versions as equally important.

I think the danger of 20 worst moments is it will end up just being a lazy article and go straight for the usual suspects. Changes, and prequals. If it is written I think it would be a good idea to focus on flaws that people don't often mention about the films (and the original trilogy has plenty that don't include the word Ewok). Otherwise the articles going to be a bit obvious

I own the prequels on DVD and have watched it as much as I can. And that wasn't very often. It's so difficult to sit through that series without whincing painfully. I have to disagree that there are any real memorable moments in the prequels. As much as Lucas wanted to show how technology has evolved enough to give him the necessary tools to make a Star Wars film he wanted to make, it felt so empty and more like something straight out of a video game for people with ADD. The story and plot just felt completely sloppy. Especially with the final act. It felt like such a total cop out to make Anakin turn to the dark side the way he did. I couldn't buy into it. The only strong points I think of the prequels are the costume design and Ian McDiarmid's performance. He took a bunch of really corny lines and turned them into something quite memorable. Something that is quite difficult to do in my opinion. Everyone was either sleepwalking through it or just trying too hard to act convincing. I'd like to add Christopher Lee as well but, there are little things about his role that made his participation in it a total waste of time. He could have been utilized better. Overall, this is supposed to be the 'Clone Wars' that Obi-Wan has been talking about to Luke in New Hope. Like everyone else, my hopes were high in that my expectations were hoping for it to be something epic! But, this just became an epic mess. Yeah, I know, I am not saying anything new and a lot of Star Wars fans out there already know this. But, I still had to get it off my chest. All the memorable scenes for me are still in the original trilogy. I tried not to be such a purist but, on repeated viewings of the prequels, I can't help it. I wanted to like it so much. I wanted to like things like Darth Maul, but the way they used characters like him, made it lame. Anyway, I think there are a lot of very memorable scenes from the original trilogy that is left out. I agree that the Speed Biker chase through the Forsts of Endor is a much more memorable chase than the Pod Race in Tatooine.

Immediately after Luke asks Obi-Wan "How did my father die?" there is this look on Alec Guinness' face, for only a split second before he begins speaking, as if Luke's question caught him off guard and had to think fast for a convincing answer.

Obviously this scene only gets it's power having seen ESB, and I doubt Lucas' had the forethought to direct Guinness to add that little nuance to the scene with the future "father" revelation in mind, which in my mind, makes it all the more powerful and perhaps further tribute to Guinness skill.

Good list. I would have replaced the pod race with the scene where Anakin leaves his mother. When Anakin walks away from his mother and towards Qui Gon, all that would become Episode IV was set into motion. The way Anakin walks toward Qui Gon and the thundering score of Williams, you know this is THE moment where everything started. Ranks up there in geek fandom in my book.

The pod race is a great piece of technical wizardy, but from an emotional context, Anakin leaving his mother is more of a "moment" for me.

For the most part a very good and well detailed list. As a huge SW fan from 30 years ago maybe the top 30 moments might have been somewhat appropriate. There are no moments I would omit. However, honorable mention should go to the Han Shot First scence. To me it defined the character and really set the stage for a character that no one was unsure of until the very end.

I agree with all the original trilogy moments (though speeder bikes is indeed a must), but for the prequels, i'd also add (but eliminate the pod race - that was totally boring to me):

Episode I: Darth Maul. (ANY scene with Darth Maul was very cool - that was the ONLY good thing about that movie, IMO). Oh, and maybe the intro of R2-D2. That was pretty cool.

Episode II: Jango Fett and Obi Wan battle Anakin "vs." the Sand People Intro of the Death Star plans (during the Separatists meeting) Loading of the Clone Troopers (first sight of what will become the Empire)

Episode III: Anakin marching into the Jedi temple with the Clone army

and whew! that Order 66 scene was awesome, wasn't it?! I gave Lucas much props for that one...didn't think he had it in him to be so brutal.

Bradavon wrote: Chris Gould wrote: 4-6 only Personally I'd say 4-6 then 2-3, forget all about 1. 1-3 are so barely connected you don't really need to watch them in order.

I second a top 20 worst of too

Sam Spade wrote: Now I just hope Indiana Jones 4 won't fail the way the Star Wars prequels did. As far as I know Lucas isn't directing so hopefully cannot ruin it by filling every single shot with CGI, CGI has it's placed but it's no replacement. Very true,Spielbergs directing and he prefers practical effects to CGI.I am still a little worried about the script though, but then again Lucas isn't the only one writing this time.

great article, Scott. I do agreethe yoda "Size matter not" speech and the Han communication moment on the death star intercom should have been included. The becoming Darth Vader moment isn't a fan favorite for me.

Great list, of course everyone has their fave moments and it would be impossible to please everyone, for me any scene with a lightsabre in it is ace, i know most people have a BIG THING about Ep1 but it has got some great sabre moments i mean using it to cut through the door on the trade federation ship i was giggling like a girl in the cinema at that point, and although this ain't a moment as such i'm gonna stick up for Jar-Jar if nothing else he was a triumph for CGI at the time and never once looks out of place in a scene plus without him Ep1 would have been pretty laugh free and not everyone thought R2 and 3PO were great in the first movie "because they were supposed to be funny"

As someone who likes the prequels, and is OK with the majority of the OT changes, I have to say that the placement of Christiansen at the end of ROTJ bothers me more and more every time I think about it. It's one even I can't back up.

All the prequels are big CGI stinkers so it's hard to find one scene worse than another but Annie and Payedme's romance in AOTC is just excruciating to watch. I wasn't the only one laughing i can tell you. Makes me cringe. Another is ewan's english accent. Hilarious.

My two worst moments (and I am unable to choose which is the worst) are the first mention of Midichlorians and when I had just finished enjoying watching ROTJ again only to find Hayden Christensen's ghost gurning at me. Makes me shiver just recollecting that scene...

Oh, my lord. Thank you for banning the ZackBrown emo kid! I love how kids finally learn curse words and then just use them out of hand at people who do not deserve it. I should know - I was one of them. But that was before the internets.

A contributor to this site had the sack to take on a hugely daunting task of narrowing great moments out of three great movies, two good movies and one movie that absolutely and totally sucked... and there are some pretty damned decent ones in there.

I have to admit, though, that scene I liked best out of all those movies wasn't on the list - Han Solo's conversation with the operator in ANH. That scene is classic Solo/Ford, and just the way he says, "We're all fine, everything's fine now... how are you?" and the grimace right after he says that... Completely great.

Awesome list otherwise. Big props for mentioning the Darth Maul/Obi-Wan/Qui-Gonn fight choreography. That was probably my second-favorite set of scenes ever... just wish there was something that allowed you to edit everything together so you could keep the asskickery going.

Chris Gould wrote: 4-6 only Personally I'd say 4-6 then 2-3, forget all about 1. 1-3 are so barely connected you don't really need to watch them in order.

I second a top 20 worst of too

Sam Spade wrote: Now I just hope Indiana Jones 4 won't fail the way the Star Wars prequels did. As far as I know Lucas isn't directing so hopefully cannot ruin it by filling every single shot with CGI, CGI has it's placed but it's no replacement.

Jeff H wrote: To Scott McKenzie I think you did a nice job with this list. I believe you didn't give yourself enough breathing room by limiting the list to twenty for six films. But you did create a debate and got people talking, isn't that what an editorial is supposed to do?

Thanks Jeff. I could quite easily have gone on and made it a top 25, 30 or 50 moments but you'd always have to leave something out and the article was in danger of getting too long anyway!

Wow, great article. I also loved how the list is not ranked and is in chronological order. It would be impossible to rank these moments.

Personally I would take out Order 66 - that was a sequence that I thought was great in conception but poor in execution. I would replace it with the Mace and company vs. Palpatine sequence, which includes the Anakin/Padme staring in silence moment.

I would also take out "I Know" and replace it with the whole sequence of Yoda's "Size matters not" speech to Luke. To this day, hearing Yoda's explanation of the Force during that scene is just a paralyzingly beautiful moment. And then when Luke says "I don't believe it!" and Yoda responds with: "That is why you fail"....oh man, that is just perfect!

Lastly, I would take out the pod race, and replace it with the opening credits of The Phantom Menace. Just seeing the words "Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace" on the big screen was a moment the fans had been waiting for for so long.

All the other moments I agree with 100%. I would really like to include the moment in Episode IV when Luke gets his lightsaber, and the audience sees and hears it for the first time, but I really can't say that's a better moment than all the others.

Twenty plus years after Empire's release we view the scene as Vader revealing the truth to Luke. In 1980 and all the way up to Jedi it was not considered fact that Vader was Luke's father. It was a topic of debate, was Vader lying or was he telling the truth? Vader was the bad guy and bad guys do lie... but maybe he just might be telling the truth. I know my friends and I debated about the Vader revelation as well as who was the other that Yoda alluded too?

IMO, Lucas, by making the new films, sucked all the surprise out of the original films.

Missing from the top 20 was the ewok death scene. Love 'em or hate 'em, that's why it deserves to be on the list. Now if there had been one for Jar-Jar...

To Scott McKenzie I think you did a nice job with this list. I believe you didn't give yourself enough breathing room by limiting the list to twenty for six films. But you did create a debate and got people talking, isn't that what an editorial is supposed to do?

Extremely well written, Scott. Great article. A bit of a read, but great, nonetheless.

I pretty much agree with you on all your selections. I was so glad to see that you chose the Anakin/Palpatine opera scene from ROTS. That scene sends chills down my spine every time I watch it. In my opinion, that is hands down the best written scene in the prequel trilogy. And very well acted. I'm going to add more later. But again, great list, Scott.

The only moment that is missing, is when Vader reveals himself to Luke and tells Luke that he was right about him, which call the "redemtion scene", I feel that is the most touching scene in the original trilogy and should have been on the list, just my two cents, Steve

I bet he's cutting his wrists someplace while listening to Linkin Park now.

Ahem.

I'm supporting the idea of having a list of "20 worst moments" as well - memorable moments, they're not called "memorable" for nothing, and pretty much none of the entries in this list come as a surprise. A list of worst moments might be a more intriguing read.

I'm sure that list would have plenty of contributions from Hayden Christensen :D

Great list. Couldn't think of much I'd change at all. Also, whether it's "cool" or not, I'm a happy man as I see "my" saga, "everyone's" saga, turning 30. It doesn't matter if George Lucas keeps taking my money over and over again, I'm willing to give it to him. Thank you Mr. Lucas for 30 years of memories I will cherish always. Memories where the good have most definitely outweighed the bad.

While I may or may not agree with some of those choices, I think everyone would agree with the 'I am your father' line though, I look forward to reading the choices of other contributors. It's noticable how 13 favourite scenes are from the OT, but only 2 of those from ROTJ, I'd say that's about right.

-sigh- It's terrible when people come on to start trouble when all I'm here to do is read.

Anyways, I like the list and the honus put on not truly making it a top 20 list since people would argue over the #1 ranking. In all, I think you did a great job. While it seems that people are stepping up for the speeder bikes, I think it was a good one to leave out. I don't think it lasted long enough to make a list of moments or had the impact that something like "I know" did. Great job.

It's hard to object to that list. There are a bunch of little moments that I really adore, but obviously you touched on the most obvious scenes throughout.

The biggest scene I'd add would be the ESB Asteroid Field.

One very little scene in ROTJ I've always loved was after Vader threw his lightsaber to cut down the catwalk and send Luke tumbling. Right before we fade to the rest of the battle, the camera follows Vader from behind and he casually ignites his lightsaber, indicating so cool and subtly he'd used the Force to retrieve it.

I wish Lucas were a better director and writer. He's an outstanding story teller, but the Original Trilogy is flavored with all kinds of great subtle moments like this or clever dialogue that it really distinguishes itself from the Prequel Trilogy. Where was Larry Kasdan when Lucas began writing TPM?

Forgot to ask, anyone going to Celebration IV in Los Angeles?

I don't think you'll need to ban ZackBrown2. He sounds like just another kid who learned to type and curse on the same day he discovered the message board. Tomorrow he'll move on to other things, especially once he realizes if you look hard enough... there are pictures of naked ladies on the Internet!

Thanks for your comments, everyone. The speeder bike chase was one scene that just missed the cut into the list, although I have to say that looking back, it's probably got the worst blue screen work of the lot.

Yoda's introduction just missed out as well. That's another scene that you approach differently after watching the prequels, seeing as we already know who Yoda is.

Ha ha ha, so much hostility from behind that computer screen and fake name. Such bravery. It's good to know there are strong people out there willing to speak out against the tyranny of DVD website adminastrators.

Gabe Powers wrote: I really love the moment when the falcon does a back flip into the 'cave' after losing the tie fighters. The score at that poing is wonderful.

Can't wait for the constructive critisism for my entre. Children.

That's another one. The entirety of the asteroid chase could have been included. Or when Vader is revealed in Cloud City ("we would be honored... if you would join us." Classy). Hell I could go on and on about great moments.

I think one of my favourite moments was when the Millenium Falcon charged after a single Tie-Fighter and they realized thats no moon as John William's score blared out. I was lucky enough to see the originals first time around and having my mum read out the story at the beginning, Ah happy days. I'm afraid things have taken a turn for the worse since the Ewoks showed up and daddy Darth turned out to love his son after all by saving him from wicked emperor. It's a far cry from the Vader of Empire who would chop off Lukes arm and kill him if he did'nt join the dark side. I'm not a fan of Jedi, The inconsistencies and Ewoks and Luke being Leia's brother was just wrong. A sign of things to come.

Personally I thought the pod race was woeful, in fact the entire Episode 1 is woeful except the last 20 minutes.

This list just reminds us how far apart the original and second trilogies, are they're not in the same galaxy of quality. Even Episode 3 while very good doesn't come close. For the record I'm a fan of Episode 2 and 3, the less said about episode 1 the better. Even if it's a shame we really have 1 film and 2 prologues (that's all episode 1/2 are).

To me it's two trilogies and always will be, they're so disjointedly connected you cannot (IMO) accurately call them a 6-part story. Those screenshots from the original trilogy are so iconic to a whole generation, there's no way we'll ever be able to say that about the second trilogy.

hey, does anyone here have any information on the 'saga' boxset that has been rumoured to be released this year? i've held off buying these films because im a boxset freak, and i really want it released!

I would eliminate the Dagobah line and replace it with the Speeder Bike chase. I love Empire, but I don't think that is really necessary, while the Pod Race would likely not exist without the speeder chace, as said previously.

I also would just give the whole Geonosis battle a spot rather than simply Yoda, as that is really the only great part of the movie, but I understand why Yoda deserves a little love.

I love a constructive post. If you don't agree with it - why not suggest some of your own? I'd like to think we have a more intelligent user base than most sites, and right now you're lowering the percentage

I agree with most of Scott's choices but the moment when Vader kills Admiral Ozzel "you have failed me for the last time" and promotes Piett is a one that possibly should have been included. Also in the Battle of Yavin when Obi Wan first talks to Luke and he turns off his targeting computer is another one to consider.Actually if the pod race is in then the entire Battle Of Yavin should have been included! Cannot stand Greg Poops commentary over it! The more I watch the prequels the more I realise how bad they are. Wasted opportunity in my opinion! Big time! I did not get into last years moratorium about what should have been done due it would have basically been a long rant!

Good list. But for me, instead of the 'you must go to the Dagobah system', i would've added another to 'Sith', with the moment in the Jedi temple when Anakin and Padme seem to be looking towards each-other across the skyline. That's probably the most realistic and touching scene of their relationship, since they don't say a word. Or perhaps even yoda's introduction in his hut. The moment Luke realizes he's the jedi he's looking for, our view of yoda immediately changes from viewing him as an annoying little go-between to a proud and wise being. Great moment.